Three men have been arrested following a spate of burglaries in Heywood.

The suspects have been questioned in relation to numerous break-ins following an operation by Heywood’s Neighbourhood Policing Team.

There have been 78 burglaries in the town since the start of October.

But Heywood Police Chief Insp Andy Fern said that represented a ‘small seasonal rise’ and was thought to be connected to a ‘number of offenders being released from prison at the same time’.

He also sought to reassure residents over the issue, saying the number of break-ins was slightly lower than in previous years.

His comments come after dozens of people took to Facebook to express concerns about the number of recent thefts from homes, cars and businesses.

Insp Andrew Fern

Insp Fern said: “There has been a lot of worry on social media about this issue in recent weeks.

“While there has been a small spike in the number of burglaries, I’d like to reassure everyone that it is not as serious an issue as has been made out and the fear of crime is currently higher than the issue itself.

“Our team has made very good progress in tracking down those responsible and we believe the spike has been due in part to a number of offenders being released from prison at the same time.

“We are also acting on intelligence about a number of other suspects and will be taking further action to bring them to justice.”